Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

It’s been quite awhile since Mio’s LEAP K1 was introduced overseas, but now we’re getting an up close and personal look thanks to one particular unboxer over at Mobile01. The two-faced mobile looks like a typical handset from the front, but upon flipping it over, you’ll find another side to this critter — one that fancies GPS navigation. We’re not too sure how we feel about having to safeguard displays on both sides of the handset, but if we had access to plenty of screen protectors, we suppose we could get used to all that added functionality. Hit the read link for lots more pics.

[Via iTech News]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

Surely you’ve been wondering what types of motherboards would be surfacing to support Intel’s Core i7, no? Regardless of your answer, we’re pretty sure the gamers and performance mavens in the house will appreciate Gigabyte’s latest effort. The prototype mobo, coined Extreme Edition, was recently displayed at NVIDIA’s NVISION 08 expo, and if the final version is anything like this, we’d say some records are in real danger of being obliterated. The unit was said to be based on the X58 chipset and provide support for up to six graphics cards, 24GB of DDR3-1333 RAM (or 6GB of DDR3-1900/2000 using overclocked 2GB DIMMs) and a separated 12-phase power supply for the CPU. Interested yet?

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Remember those rumored specifications for LG’s so-called Prada II? Yeah, particularly the part about the slide-out keyboard? If the image above has any traces of legitimacy, you could be looking at the Prada II. Good thing an image is worth quite a few letters, ’cause that’s all the details we’ve got to go on for now.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Okay, pretend you had absolutely no inclination that this so-called KickStart was real. Surprise! E-tailer expansys has spoiled RIM’s thunder (no silly, not that Thunder) by posting up detailed product pages for both the BlackBerry 8220 (WiFi) and BlackBerry 8210 (GPS). The current specs list points out a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 primary display, 160 x 128 pixel secondary display, 2-megapixel camera (with LED flash), video recording and a microSDHC slot. There’s no price or release date listed for either, but at least you can shelve those worries of this thing never making it to market.

[Via Cellpassion]

Read - BlackBerry 8220
Read - BlackBerry 8210

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

With all the Touch Diamond / Touch Pro news surfacing for these US CDMA carriers, quite a few AT&T subscribers are beginning to get restless. Calm down, folks — it seems the AT&T Touch Pro is a reality waiting to happen after all. Based on some admittedly dodgy claims and even dodgier photographs, one particular soul has apparently paid $900 for a pre-release Touch Pro with North American 3G. Only time will tell if he got duped, but we’re going to believe that AT&T wouldn’t let this gem pass it by for too much longer until proven wrong.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

We still can’t get over the fact that Sylvania is selling a netbook, but all weirdness aside, the unit deserves the same hands-on attention given to most all of its biggest competitors. According to initial reports, the 8.9-inch Sylvania G Netbook Meso sports an atypical (albeit appreciated) matte display, an expectedly cramped keyboard and a smooth-as-butter trackpad. Need proof? Hit up the read link for a smattering of hands-on shots and a brief video.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

No, no — Sammy wouldn’t dare dub this the Mullet, although we have a sneaking suspicion it would sell quite well here in the south if such a bold decision were made. Nevertheless, the i7110c (that’s more like it, no?) has just been revealed, and while a great deal of mystery still surrounds it, we are told that it will likely boast a QVGA display, a navigational cube that acts as a cursor controller, 5-megapixel camera (with flash), microSD expansion slot, multimedia player, Bluetooth and an FM tuner. We must say, we’re strangely attracted to the harmonious mix of business-like design cues and consumer-friendly attributes, though it would be nice if Samsung came on out and made this thing official.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

Well, what have we here? One of those unicorn-like Opus motherboards? According to an image put forth by one Electric Tuner, that’s exactly what we have. If you’ll recall, we heard back in February that Microsoft may be utilizing the Opus mobos in order to fit the newer 65 / 90-nanometer CPU / GPU combo into RRoDed Xbox 360s that are just collecting dust in warehouses. Thus, you’ll find no dedicated HDMI port here, but it should operate much cooler and in a more reliable fashion than the pre-Falcon rigs. There’s no word on how exactly this unit was acquired (a replacement, perhaps?), but you can head on down to the read link for one more picture and a little discussion.

[Via Xbox-Scene, thanks Leonardo]

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Original post by Darren Murph

We all wish we had superpowers. However, most of us can’t scale tall buildings, move faster than a speeding bullet, or use extra sensory perception caused by an accident with acid. Technology can help make up for our shortcomings, though. Here are some gadgets to make you feel more like the superheroes who’ll be flying, fighting, and smashing their way through this summer’s movies.

Hulk: Emergency Car Hammer
Hulk Smash! And now you can, too. In case you get into a car accident and your gamma-radiated DNA isn’t working, you’ll be glad you can smash your way through a window with this little device’s dual cast-metal hammerheads. The Hulk shows his true colors in theaters June 13th.

Batman: Utility Towel
When Batman goes to the beach, he always makes sure he’s got this connected to his sand-proof utility belt; the shade of black matches his cape and cowl perfectly. While you may not be cool enough to have a utility belt, the little latch on the corner of the Utility Towel lets you hook it onto anything. Say hello to “The Dark Knight” on July 18th.

Hellboy: Really Big Lighter
Think you can handle cigars the size of Hellboy’s? You’re going to need a lot of lighter, then. This behemoth will do. Warning: Pyros may experience high levels of pleasure followed by a urge to burn things. Saving the world will be a hell of a job at your local theater on July 11th.

The Mummy: Rubber Band Tommy Gun
Rick O’Connell’s weapon of choice in “The Mummy” movies is the tommy gun. Maybe it’s yours as well, during cube warfare on slow Fridays.But we encourage you to use this version, which is modified to fire rubber bands. A new evil awakens on August 1st.

The X-Files: Pocket Microscope
Agents Mulder and Scully are always ready to tackle a crime scene. With this Pocket Microscope, you can investigate your own scenes. The truth is out there; maybe now you can find it! Great for finding the minutest details that no one else can spot. You’ll want to believe on July 25th.

Original post by Chris Gampat

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Media PCs

Not like we haven’t seen PCs stuffed within the slim confines of an LCD HDTV before, but it’s safe to say the market isn’t exactly overrun with alternatives. Enter Digital Canvas, which looks to take a 34-, 43- or 52-inch flat-panel and outfit ‘em with typical PC components. All three come standard with a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive, WiFi module, a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution panel and a sweet string across the back for picture frame-esque hanging. Aside from needing to make absolutely sure you have a sturdy stud waiting, we’d certainly be wary about pulling the trigger via the seller’s eBay store. Regardless, we’re giving the design a hearty golf clap, even though the $4,777 to $7,777 price tags are a bit out of our league.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Engadget recently grabbed a few minutes with Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz. They were able to get some great information on the JavaFX Mobile platform as well as Java on the iPhone and how the struggle against Microsoft is going with respect to open source.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by ScuttleMonkey

Graftweed writes to share that Sun is working on a new open video codec called Open Media Stack (OMS). OMS video will be based on H.26x technology and promises to deliver royalty-free open video. This certainly isn’t the first attempt at an open codec, hopefully Sun will decide to add something to the table beyond just their name.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by ScuttleMonkey

Filed under: Robots

The University of Michigan’s COM-BAT most definitely isn’t the first mechanical animal to get its inspirations from the bat, but it’s probably the best equipped to play a vital role in modern day warfare. A select group of Wolverines have been blessed with a $10 million grant from the US Army in order to concoct a “six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat [that] would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time.” Purportedly, the critter will eventually boast a bevy of sensors, miniature microphones and detectors for picking up nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Even more interesting, creators are hoping to implement “energy scavenging,” which would enable the bat to stay charged from wind / solar energy along with vibrations and “other sources.” So much for being nocturnal, eh?

[Via UberGizmo]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

If you haven’t seen it by now, behold, the Gears of War, Nerf Lancer modification. Forsaken_angel24’s genius is rooted in the combination of a regular Nerf Longshot and toy chainsaw. Neither of which would cause the average Wal-mart parent cause for concern. Combined, they take on the form of this foreboding assault rifle with working chainsaw bayonet, LED lighting and sound effects… which shoots squishy balls at little girls. Full instructions for modders are posted over at the Nerfhaven forums. We’ve added a video after the break — not so much a how-to as a loving tribute to man’s god-given right to war.

[Via Hack n Mod, thanks Nick L.]

Continue reading The Gears of War Nerf Lancer modification scares a locust horde of parents

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Storage

WD’s Passport portable drive a bit too clunky for your tastes? We dig your style, and if you’re always looking for something sleeker and sexier, the new My Passport Essential is likely to satisfy — if only for a moment. Reportedly, these were tweaked to look more like the firm’s popular My Book family, and each one weighs in at less than five ounces. Available now in 160GB, 250GB and 320GB flavors, these USB-powered drives cap out at $199.99 and (for now at least) only arrive in the glossy black finish you see above.

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Original post by Darren Murph